Fire Emblem: Hell's Rising
by Vince329
Summary: They say that the world ends not with a bang, but whimper. They were wrong. Our world erupted in flames as we were left in chaos. Will anyone save us?


**Hello Fire Emblem fanfic readers. Vince329 here with something that's been on my mind for awhile now. It's a concept that I've been thinking about awhile concerning an Awakening continuity. **

**Please leave your honest reviews/feedback. Would really like a general idea on how I'm doing as a writer**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem nor any other game series that might be mentioned in this story.**

**P.S. Robin is in his default customization**

* * *

P.P.S. Chapter contains some dark themes, not for the squeemish

_8:15 a.m._

_House in the countryside of Ylisse_

A blonde man with casual wear was sitting by his desk. In front of him was what seems to be a journal. The man picked up his quill from the ink jar and began writing.

"Date: April 20th, Year 7 AG (After Grima).

_Six years… Hard to believe that it's been that long since Chrom found me back on that hill where it all began. It's funny how history tends to repeat itself. Well… I don't want to jinx that, after all, I've had enough wars to last me a lifetime. Huh, time really does fly by fast. Today seems to be a nice day. Though it's highly probable that Chrom is going to land a huge batch of paperwork for me. Maybe I can ask him for one day's respite, and use that day to spend time with my wife. After all, it is her-_

"Yaaawn, what are you doing up so early?" Two slender arms wrapped themselves around the writer's neck on both sides. The writer was not exactly bewildered by this sudden action, moreover he's quite used to it, though this sudden action halted his train of thought. A female head rested itself on his right shoulder and nuzzled against the neck, a feminine sound mewling. "It's nothing worth too much of your time, Lucina. You should go get some more rest." The writer said to the lady behind him.

_Robin (Age 27):  
Ylisse's Grandmaster Tacticiam, the son of the late Plegian King Validar, as well as Exalt Chrom's most trusted individual. Robin played a pivotal role during the wars between Ylisse and Plegia, Chon'sin and Valm, as well as against the Grimleal. In the final battle against Grima, he sacrificed himself to banish Grima from the world forever. A year later, he was found again, on the hill where Chrom had once found him. He is currently living his quiet life with his beloved. Though it isn't so quiet nowadays as he was appointed the title of Grandmaster Tactician._

He turned his head to gain a better look at his wife. Her serene face, still as pure as he remembered when he first laid eyes upon them, showed a few signs of fatigue, but none that revealed a significant impact upon her beauty. Her cerulean eyes shined with a light hue, with the left eye bearing the brand of all House Ylisse descendants and ancestors. Her subtle smile further exemplified her beauty as seeing her smile made the writer's heart flutter in joy. Her long, flowing hair matched the colour of her eyes, though it was disheveled and had strands poking out at different angles.

_Lucina (Age 27):  
Elder daughter of Exalt Chrom. Originally, she lived in a distant future where an evil dragon by the name of Grima had brought the world to ruin. Nine years ago, she traveled through time in an attempt to avert the world's impending doom. With the help of her fellow comrades from the future, She fought alongside her father and the Shepherds to rid the world of the Fell Dragon. She currently lives in peace alongside her husband._

"Not if you don't sleep with me. We don't meet with my father until mid-day, so please get some rest." Lucina said, attempting to convince her husband. "That doesn't really apply to me. Being Grandmaster Tactician, no matter how glamorous that title sounds, doesn't exactly come packed together with get-out-of-work free privileges. No matter how many times I ask your father, he probably won't let me off that easily." The tactician replied. He moved his head closer to Lucina's ear. "Also, you interrupted me writing another entry in my log. That doesn't exactly tip the odds in your favour, now does it?"

"Well it's not like you present me with any other option at gaining your attention." She pouted, which the tactician dubbed to be the third cutest thing that he has seen from her. He placed his writing quill back on the table, and brought his right hand to Lucina's cheek. Robin directed his wife's face towards his, and leaned forward to kiss Lucina in the lips. Their lips met and both husband and wife blissfully closed their eyes and enjoyed their moment, for a few seconds at least. Robin retreated slightly to give himself a little bit of breathing room, and looked at his beloved once again in her sparkling eyes. He smiled, saying, "You satisfied now?"

"Only slightly," Lucina smiled again. Again, it brought joy in the tactician's heart to see his wife's beautiful smile. "Ok then, looks like I have to start making errands for your father." He took both Lucina's arms into his hands and gently pushed them away from his neck to free himself from his wife's grasp. He got up from his chair and reached for his navy blue tactician's cloak that was hung on his wardrobe. In contrast to the purple Plegian coat that Robin occasionally wore during the war, this new cloak - given to him by the Exalt himself as a gift - was coloured fully with navy blue. There was a golden braid with each end attached on either side of the collar, and connected the gap in front of the cloak. Emblazoned on the back of the cloak was the Ylissean brand that covered most of the back area. Quickly, Robin pulled the cloak over his head and let it fall down on his body. He put his arms through the sleeves of his cloak, and shrugged his arms forward so that the cloak fit snugly. He grabbed at least four rolls of parchment - military records, residential surveys, and whatever else of the like - and placed them within the inner pockets of his cloak. Lucina retreated back and sat down on the edge of the bed, readjusting the left strap of her flowing white nightgown. Robin approached his wife and kissed her on the right cheek. "I won't be back until thirty minutes at the earliest. Make sure you get something to eat, and also tend to Jordan as well. "

Lucina nodded. "Okay, just make sure you come back early. After all, it's a special day today." This time it was Robin's turn to smirk, "To think that you would possibly believe that I would miss out on your most important day of every year? Not a chance."

Lucina giggled a bit, bringing her left hand in front of her mouth to hide her snickering. "Given the number of trips you make from here to several other outlying regions, it's only natural for something so simple as a birthday to be missed."

"Haha, very funny." Robin said sarcastically, "what kind of husband would I be if I had forgotten my wife's birthday? But it was worth a laugh as well." Robin couldn't help but smile as well. "Anyways, I'll be off." With that, Robin exits the bedroom, waving goodbye to his wife while doing so. Lucina, in turn, decides to get dressed as well, since her little conversation with Robin drove out all the fatigue within her. She decides to get herself dressed as well. She opens the wardrobe, "Hmmm, what shall I wear today?"

Robin gently closing the door behind him. He turned around and checked on another door behind him; the door leading to the bedroom where his daughter resided. Slowly, he opened the door just enough to fit his head inside. He then took a peek inside his child's bedroom.

The room was rather plain to say the least. Placed alongside the walls were shelves filled with textbooks and tomes. By the window on the opposite side of the entrance door was a work desk. On it was a blank card and a quill with a small portion of ink dripping on top of the card. The early morning sun was shining bright through the window, and the rays of light were directed on the figure that slept on the bed.

The sleeping face had her head rested on her right side, directed towards Robin. The child was young, no older than a kindergartener's age. Her face bore a slight resemblance to his own, yet it was much more slender so that it gave her a feminine impression. She also has her mother's vibrant blue hair, though it only reached down to the bottom of her neck. The brand of House Ylisse is located on the left side of her neck.

_Jordan (age 5): The daughter of the tactician Robin and the Ylissean Princess Lucina. Regardless of her young age, her father has been homeschooling her in his ways ever since she was three. As a result of this, her intellect, although nowhere near her father's level, Is close to that of her future counterpart. She is the Morgan of the current timeline, but had her name changed to avoid confusion._

"Ngh…" Her eyes started to flutter; obviously something or someone must have woken her up. Her eyelids fully opened; she has her father's eyes. "Oh, morning Father."

"Morning Jordan. Sorry, have I disrupted your sleep?" Robin asked. "Mm-mm." the child prodigy shook her head, "It's only the troublesome sunlight. Why have you risen at such an early morn?"

"Errands. His Excellency is expecting a few parchments from me, so I have to leave early." Robin answered. "I see. However, I don't understand why Grandfather Chrom must trouble you ever so often. You rarely have time for your family, and on every occasion when you come home, you always seem so fatigued."

"I've noticed. I will go ask your Grandfather if I can take today as a respite. It is your Mother's birthday after all." At the mention of that, the child frantically sat up straight. "Oh no! Mother's card" Jordan panicked. "Peace, Jordan. You shouldn't wake up your mother."

Morgan brought her right hand up to her forehead, signaling that she was feeling the onset of a headache. "Forgive me, but I have only begun to make the card yesterday, and I rarely had time to work on it because of… other priorities regarding Martha and the others-"

"Don't worry about it, you can finish the card today. What about your mother's gift?" Robin asked. "I'll show you, after you come home from your errand."

"You know it's a bad idea to keep secrets from your parents, right Jordan?" Robin told his daughter, in a manner which seemed like he was scolding her. "Regardless, secrets are secrets, especially when it comes to a present for one of your parents' birthday." Morgan replied.

"Heh, okay then. Just as long as you have a gift. Your mother would be satisfied with anything you give her. You have your father's word on that. Though don't take that too literally now." Robin consoled his daughter, putting his right hand over his heart to solidify his claim. "I suppose. In any case, you should probably get going now. You don't want to keep Grandfather Chrom waiting do you?" They both chuckled a bit. "Actually, can I come with you?"

"Sorry, but I already promised your mother to take care of you. You can drop by later, but for now, get some rest, my child." Robin walked over to Jordan's bedside. He kissed the child's forehead and brought his left hand over her eyes. Within a few moments, Jordan's eyes closed, signifying that the child went back to sleep. With that, Robin gently closed the door, went down the stairs and exited the house.

The spring morning was beautiful, and the tactician stood in place for a few moments to fully take in the scenery. He closed his eyes and inhaled, outstretching his arms, basking in the radiance of nature. The sky was a cloudless bright blue, with the sun shining in radiance over the eastern horizon. The grass on the flatland and rolling plains, as well as the surrounding trees in the distance swayed along with the wind. The flowers outside of the house were starting to grow, some almost in full bloom. The birds and the seagulls scattered throughout the sky, all of them going eastward towards Castle Ylisse.

After having his little peaceful moment, Robin walked over to the garden in the back of his house. As he entered, he saw two horses: a brown stallion and a white standard-bred. He approached a brown stallion sleeping under a small roof in a corner of the garden. "Sorry Callus, I'm going to have to wake you up early today." Robin rubbed the horses head to wake him up. The horse neighed, in slight annoyance. "Again, my apologies. I'll be sure to get you something you enjoy once we reach Ylisstol." Reluctantly, the horse stood up on all fours, shaking his head to remove any stray hay that may have clung onto the hair. Robin climbed on the horse and whipped the reins to get the horse moving.

Callus slowly started walking, then picked up speed once he made contact with the dirt road.

* * *

_Ylisstol_

The journey to Ylisstol took no less than fifteen minutes. As Robin approached the town gate, the soldiers on duty straightened themselves up and saluted the tactician. "MORNING GRANDMASTER!" they greeted. "Good morning to you too, fellow soldiers." Robin replied back, "I seek an audience with His Excellency the Exalt, therefore I request permission to enter the castle."

"With pleasure, Master Robin. His Highness is expecting you. OPEN THE GATE!" The commander - who was wearing the same armour as his subordinates, only except with a red sash wrapped around his left shoulder and right waist - yelled to the gatekeepers. The giant doors of the castle wall opened, and Robin rode into the town, at a slow pace so that he did not trample the town's inhabitants. As Robin rode on, he was greeted by many of the citizens, either through the waving of hands or verbal greetings. Needless to say, he enjoyed the warm welcome given by the numerous townspeople. As he cleared out of the crowd, he reached the castles entrance. One of the castle's resident servants came up to him. "Good morning Master Robin. Do you need some help with your horse?" The servant asked. "Uh, yes. Thank you," replied Robin. The tactician hopped off his horse and handed the reins over to the Ylissean servant. Robin then proceeded to pull some coins out of his pocket, but the servant stopped him. "You don't have to worry about paying me Master Robin. I will bring the horse to the stables for you free of charge."

"Really? Thank you friend." With that, the servant went on to take Callus to the stables. Robin kept an eye on the person to make sure that he was true to his word. Thankfully he was, as the servant put the reins on the horse post in the nearby stable. With that out of the way, Robin proceeded to enter the castle, parchments in hand.

On the outside, the castle itself still contained its prestigious look. The stone walls that made up the architecture of the castle showed their age, but are still rather resilient. Flower petals flew gracefully through the air like leaves in the wind. Once Robin entered inside, he observed the surroundings. Torches alongside the walls were lit with fire and gave light in the darkness of the castle. As the tactician entered the throne room, he searched the room with his eyes to find the one e was looking for, but to no avail. Chrom was not present in the throne room.

_Great. The one time you asked me to be present and you're not. Damn it Chrom!_ Robin cursed in his mind. He was clearly agitated as he would have used whatever time he had wasted finding a gift for his wife. He sighed as he brought a hand up to his head in annoyance. _Well, I might as well ask for directions._ Luckily, his ears caught the noise of nearby soldiers doing their morning exercises. Robin walked over to the training grounds.

Sure enough, Sir Frederick the Wary was putting his knights into training as they were doing practice battles. "Morning Frederick!" Robin shouted. The brunette knight turned to direct his face towards the blonde tactician. "Ah, how do you do Master Robin?" He replied with a smile.

_Frederick (age 35):  
One of Ylisstol's most hardened knights. He has earned the title Frederick the Wary is because… well, he's wary all of the time. When he first met Robin alongside Exalt Chrom and Princess Lissa, he held suspicions of the tactician for a long period of time. Now that the war is over, he spends his days training new recruits for Ylisse's army. That and tending to his wife Maribelle._

"SOLDIERS!" The soldiers stopped their sparring and turned their heads towards their commander. "Grandmaster Robin has graced you with his presence! Honour him with your respect!" Frederick commanded the trainees. In an instant, all thirty six soldiers immediately marched in rows and straightened themselves. They brought their right hands up to their foreheads in salute. They changed, "YLISSE'S FOUR-HUNDRED AND FIRST BATTALION, REPORTING FOR DUTY SIR!"

"At ease soldiers." Robin brought his hands forward and lowered his hand as a gesture to ease the recruits. Simultaneously, all the soldiers brought their hands to their waists. "You didn't have to make them do a salute." Robin faced and told Frederick. The latter let out a small laugh, "Hmph, nonsense. I need to teach the soldiers how formalities have to be portrayed." The knight replied.

"Seems that Maribelle is starting to rub off on you, my friend." This time it was Robin's turn to chuckle, as he bared his teeth while he smiled. "That may be so, but her lessons are rather useful."

"Anyway, do you know where can I find Chrom?" Robin asked the knight. "Oh, His Excellency? He is in the garden in the back, alongside Sumia, Martha, and Samantha."

"Okay, thank you." With that being said, Robin walked in direction of the gardens. "CONTINUE TRAINING!" The soldiers continued with their sparring.

As Robin entered the back garden, he looked left and right in order to find the man who he desperately was trying to look for. Lo and behold, Chrom, his wife Sumia, and his two daughters are sitting in the middle of the circular patch of grass permeated with various flowers. They seem to be having a morning picnic.

"I try to find you in the throne room, hoping that you would be there as always. And now I find you having breakfast with your wife and kids, when I should be back home with my own wife and child!" Robin complained, gaining the attention of the Exalt and his wife.

_Chrom (age 27):  
Ylisse's High Exalt and Leader of the Shepherds. Alongside Robin, the role he played in the Grima war was a heavy burden, but he carried it out with valour and courage. After Robin had sacrificed himself to fully destroy Grima, Chrom searched all over the land to search for his lost friend, only to find him a year later on the hill where he once found him. Six years have passed since that time, and now he is living peacefully with his wife and daughters._

_Sumia (age 27):  
Queen of Ylisse as well as the wife of His Excellency. She married to Chrom after the fall of Mad King Gangrel of Plegia. She is kind-hearted at in body, soul, and mind and will always stand for the week. Although as valiant and strong-hearted as she may be, she tends to be clumsy on a natural basis. For example, she does tend to trip on virtually nothing. Her pies are a delicacy however._

"Oh Robin! Why don't you come join us?" Sumia called over the tactician, waving her arm as a signal to come over. Instead of the curls and braids that usually decorated her hair, it was no longer adorned with accessories such as the bead ring or the wing hair-clip. Sumia's hair flowed freely with the wind. Her face still held shined with youth, even during her middle age. She wore a wavy yellow sundress that flowed along with the wind.

Chrom was, well, the same as ever. Even after seven years, he still had the same blue low-spike hairstyle, the same facial figure, the same navy blue and black collar uniform with yellow stripes, as well as the white cape attached alongside a platinum shoulder guard on the left shoulder. Even the waist adornments, pants and boots were still the same. His cape ebbed like water ripples in the same direction as his wife's dress.

"UNCLE ROBIN!" Two girls ran from behind Chrom and Sumia, and tackled the now dumbfounded tactician. "Uwaah! Martha! Samantha! Calm down for a second!" Both children shared their father's hair. The one on Robin's left had her hair flow down in similar fashion to her mother, and the Ylissean brand was located on her left eye, exactly like Lucina's. The girl on Robin's right side had her hair in pigtails on both sides of her head, and her brand was located on the right side of her neck. Both of the children wore matching white sundresses.

_Martha (age 7):  
The eldest daughter of Chrom and Sumia, and the 1st Princess of Ylisse. While somewhat naïve, she contains a strong force of determination within her. She is the Lucina of the current timeline, but had her name changed after 1 AG to avoid confusion._

_Samantha (age 6):  
The second daughter of Chrom and Sumia, and the 2nd Princess of Ylisse. She is a vibrant and cheery girl, and always knew when to uplift someone's spirits. However, she carries her mother's klutzy traits, in more ways than one. She is the Cynthia of the current timeline, but had her named changed in order to avoid confusion._

After Robin took the moment to catch his breath after both children rammed into him, he asked them, "So have you two been doing?"

"We're fine!" They both said. "Been doing your homework? _Martha?"_ Robin emphasized the name of the long-haired girl. "Wha- of course I've been doing my homework…" Her voice wavered a little, giving Robin hints of suspicion. "Have you been asking Jordan for help again? Because when I saw her this morning, she could only barely just get up." At this point, the girl in question was starting to feel horrible now. "Yeah Martha! Why are you being so hard on Morgan, huh!?" Now Samantha was adding onto Martha's guilt.

"Now Samantha, don't trouble your sister. And Martha, you should go apologize to Jordan once you see her." Chrom walked up to Robin, put his hands on both girl's shoulders and gently pulled them away from his friend so that he could have a little bit of breathing room. "I don't know why you're so laid back on all this. Shouldn't you be the one helping out your own daughter when it comes to schoolwork!?" Chrom sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, grinning and baring his teeth while he was at it. "You know how it is between my job as Exalt and every priority revolving around that post-"

"That doesn't mean you let your own daughter dump her work on my daughter. Her well-being is your utmost priority as a father, and my daughter's well-being is my priority. Please don't get those two things messed up… Anyways, what was it you wanted to call me for, aside from the usual parchment submissions?" Robin finally asked. In an instant, Chrom's expression turned from mirth to doubt. He turned back to Sumia, seeking for a sort of permission. His wife nodded in approval, bearing a similar troubled expression. The Exalt turned back to the children he was holding, and both of them looked up to him. "Martha, Samantha, go play with your mother. Robin and I need to talk about some things." They both agreed and ran back to their mother's arms.

"Follow me; I think you should put this into concern."

* * *

Chrom led Robin to his study. Inside the office were organized bookshelves and tapestries that sat neatly on the walls. A ray of sunlight directed itself in the center of the room from the opposite window. In the center was a work desk, and on top of it was Chrom's signature sword: the Falchion. A blade that has transcended through time ever since the Hero-King Marth first used the sacred weapon in battle.

"Okay… You brought me all this way just to observe Falchion?" Robin asked the Prince, a little dumbfounded at first. "You haven't let me finish." Chrom then proceeded to unsheathe the sword, and Robin was caught slightly off guard. His eyes widened as he saw the blade glow a crimson red instead of the blazing orange it once had.

"What the… Falchion never glowed red before." Robin observed. "Exactly. Also, hold onto it. I know you aren't Falchion's chosen, but just hold onto it for a moment." Chrom flipped the sword so that the handle was directed at Robin. Robin extended his right hand to grab the sword, and once he did…

"Gah!" The tactician felt an overflow of demonic power course through his veins once he grabbed hold of the sword. His face contorted in pain as he held onto Falchion for a few more seconds, then he quickly retracted his hand, shaking it around to get the blood flow moving in his arm once again. The tactician's face slight let loose of the tension, and he exhaled to calm himself down.

"What on earth!? Why is that power not affecting you?" Robin asked the Exalt, disbelief filling his voice. "I'm not sure, maybe because I am Falchion's chosen, or it could be something about Naga's blood protecting me, I'm not sure. That's why I wanted to show this to you. Only you, Frederick and Sumia are the ones who know about this. I plan to disclose this information to the other Shepherds, but I just need to find the right time to." Chrom sheathed Falchion and placed it back on his desk.

"In any case, the sooner the better. If there's anything sort of trouble regarding this sword, then that same trouble will be directed towards us sooner or later." After Robin's words have been said, both he and Chrom exited the study.

* * *

_Back at Robin's house_

"Hmhmhmhm…" Lucina sang a lullaby as she was kneeled down to pick up the flowers from her front yard. She decided to wear a purple sundress. After she plucked seven flowers from the yard, however, a voice rang out from inside her head. Lucina brought her free hand up to her head. The mysterious sound was distorted, so the princess could barely make out any words. After a few seconds, a single word rang clearly within Lucina's mind: " West, West, West, West, West, West, West" was being repeated over and over. Complying to the voice, Lucina faced westward. The princess gasped, as the sight she saw overwhelmed her.

Beyond the horizon, the sky turned crimson red, a far contrast to the blue sky behind her. The red sky seemed to be expanding as well, slowly but surely. Within that area, winged beasts were flying towards Lucina's direction. _Wyverns? _ Lucina thought at first, but as she looked closely, that was far from her first assumption. Armies upon armies of creatures with wings permeated the sky, some of them humanoid while others in other monstrous forms similar to that of dragons. All of them headed towards a single direction, eastward.

Lucina stumbled a few steps backwards before she turned around towards the direction where the creatures were heading. "They're headed for… YLISSTOL! ROBIN!" Abruptly, she let go of the flowers in her right hand and ran inside the house. She stormed up the stairs and barged through her daughter's door. "JORDAN! PACK UP YOUR NECESSITIES AND GET READY! WE'RE HEADING OUT!" Lucina immediately shouted once she opened the door, causing the five-year old girl to fall off her work chair.

"Mother!? What's wrong!" Jordan asked, rubbing her head as she hit her head on the floor.

"Your father's in danger, we need to hurry!" Lucina replied in a panic. "What!? In danger of what!?" the child was oblivious as to what her mother was worrying about.

"I don't know! Just hurry!" Lucina retreated quickly from her daughter's doorway and entered her own room. She quickly pried open the doors of her wardrobe, undressed from her attire and abruptly put on her battle armour. Once she finished putting on her battle-wear she grabbed her own Falchion from her bedside. As she unsheathed the sword slightly to check up on the blade's sharpness, she noticed a crimson red light that permeated the metal. _What is this? Gah, no time! I must hurry._ She sheathed the blade and attached the scabbard to her waist belt.

She and Jordan exited their rooms at the same time. Morgan was dressed in a light blue t-shirt, dark green pants and black boots. She was wearing brown leather training gloves that her father gave her as a gift. Under her left arm was some sort of a magical tome. "You can never be too careful, right?" Jordan said, determination enveloping within her.

"Right, now let's go!" Mother and daughter exited through the front door and ran to the back. "Albia! Wake up! We have to go!" The white horse immediately straightened all four of her legs and readied herself to be mounted. Lucina climbed up the horse and grabbed hold of the reins. "Hurry Jordan!" She extended her left hand and the daughter grabbed hold of her mother's hand as she was pulled up and mounted firmly on the horse's back.

"HYAH!" Lucina whipped the reins and the horse started moving as fast as she could. Albia maximized her speed once she hit the dirt rode.

_Please Naga! Please tell me I won't be too late!_

* * *

_BOOOOOOOOOM!  
CRAAAASH!  
BAAAAANG!_

Explosions rang outside of the castle. The force of the explosions had almost made both men lose their balance. "WHAT IN THE GODDESS' NAME!?" Chrom cursed loudly. "Your Excellency! Master Robin! You must see this with your own eyes!" The same castle servant I let valet my horse ran over to us in a panic. "What is happening my friend?" Chrom asked, reaching out his right hand to touch him on his shoulder. He lightly shook the servant's shoulder to keep his attention directed towards him.

"I-It's horrible. Y-You must-…r-Run." The panic finally overwhelmed the servant and he fainted. "The explosions came from the south entrance. We can see whatever's happening on the balcony. LET'S GO!" Robin and Chrom immediately dashed towards the outside balcony upstairs.

Once they reached the balcony, what they saw immediately horrified them. The castle gate had been destroyed, as if a cannonball or very strong magic tore down the stronghold door. Not only that, parts of the actual castle wall that the door was hinged to was completely blown off, as stray bricks and metal scattered all over the area. Five dead soldiers had their limbs dismembered, from torn arms to detached torsos. Whatever was left of the wall, as well as the surrounding area, was smothered with either blood or body parts. More soldiers arrived at the scene to either tend to the wounded or to take the dead away.

From there, there was nothing but a single path of death and destruction that led from the now-destroyed wall to the castle itself. Along that path, the houses and settlements located within or around the general area were either caught on fire, had holes in their walls that were created with similar explosions, or demolished entirely. Smoke clouds rose up from the fires that permeated the area, clouding the beautiful blue sky. Even worse, there were multitudes upon multitudes of dead bodies that littered the street. Analogous to the guards at the gate, body parts such as arms, legs, or even heads littered the pathway, crimson red blood continuously flowing out of flesh. Numerous women and children staggered towards the dead and let out cries of anguish as they hugged onto the body parts of their loved ones.

The anger in Chrom welled up like a volcano ready to explode. He clenched his fist so hard as to draw blood. "Who!? WHO DID THIS!?" The rage that the Exalt was showcasing held no bounds. "I WANT AN EXPLANATION FOR THIS!"

"Chrom, what ha- oh no…" Sumia arrived at the balcony doorway, and both the tactician and the Exalt. She brought her hands up to her mouth to hide her scared expression. Her eyes slowly starting to produce drops of tears. "Don't look my love!" Chrom ran over to his wife and hugged her in an attempt to shield her eyes from the horrifying sight . Sumia could no longer hold her tears as she clung to her husband and let out her cry of agony.

"Father? What's going on?" The two children joined the three adults on the balcony. In an instant, Robin ran over to the children and hugged them in a similar attempt. However, to no avail as Martha's left eye saw past the tactician's cloak and caught a glimpse of the chaotic landscape. "Wh-Why's the town on fire!?"

"Listen to me you two, there's something bad going on. We need to get you out of here and somewhere safe, you understand?" Robin told the two children, and they nodded. Worry filled all of their faces as the fires spread throughout the town. With no time to waste, the onlookers of the scene hurriedly retreated down the stairs and quickly attempted to escape via the throne room. Once they entered the room however.

"MILORD! STAY BACK!" Frederick was standing in front of the entrance of the throne room archway. He extended his hand out to halt the family. "Frederick, what's wrong!?" Chrom asked the knight.

"Chrom look!" Sumia pointed to the throne room entrance adjacent to where they were standing.

The throne room doors were blown open, one of the doors hanging off its hinges. Three soldiers laid dead around the blast area. By the entrance, there was a woman fully clad in black: a black suit as well as a black hat with a black veil that drooped over her face. In front of her was a long-haired, blonde man with white eyes. His face was covered with wrinkles to give the impression of an elderly man in his 70's. He was wearing a white-suit with a white tie, white blazer and white boots. He was sitting in what seemed to be a chair with two wheels attached on the sides and he was holding a cane in his right hand. The knob of the cane being in the shape of a skull. The woman in the back was holding two handles attached to the chair and she pushed the chair forward. As the chair was being pushed forward, the wheel on the right side ran hit one of the dead soldier's heads.

"So this is the world that Grima failed to take over. What a shame. With the strength that these so called 'soldiers' are showing, that whelp Grima would have taken this world over ages ago." The white man said, his voice giving an ominous and benevolent impression on Chrom and the others. The man kicked away the dead soldier to clear his path.

"WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU WANT!" Chrom directed his anger towards the mysterious intruders.

"Ah, where are my manners? Hail Chrom, Crown Exalt of the Halidom of Ylisse and King of all the land. It is an honour to acquire your acquaintance." The old man, or whatever he was, extended his hands out as if he was worshiping some god.

_That wasn't the right question to ask. WHAT is he!? Robin thought._

* * *

**AN: CLIFFHANGER MUAHAHAHAHA! Sorry but I wanted to get this first portion done before I leave on my trip, so I had to end the chapter here. This is a little experiment I wanted to toy with ever since a certain Nintendo game got announced some months ago. Please please PLEASE let me know what you guys think about this. Your comments are appreciated. **

**Cookies to those who can guess who the man in the wheelchair is**


End file.
